Valley of the Wind
by Zashire
Summary: After finishing off Tayuya, Temari and Shikamaru decided to go help Naruto rather than return to Konoha. Who would've thought that the simple choice would send Naruto and Temari into the past to the times before the Shodaime reigned? NaruTema
1. Valley of the End

Full Summary: will be added soon

Pairings: Mostly undecided… probably NaruTema

Velley of the Wind  
Chapter 1: Valley of the End  
By: Zashire

"C'mon, Temari-san, we need to go find the others," a dark haired Chuunin said urgently as he turned to jump off the tree he was standing on.

The woman known as Temari put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Hang on, pineapple-head," she said in an impassive tone. "My brothers are already on it. Kankuro went after your friend with the dog and Gaara went to help the blonde kid."

Shikamaru's eyes flicked back to the Suna kunoichi. "You don't understand! By now, Naruto is probably fighting Sasuke… on his own."

"What do you mean 'on his own?' Gaara was a pretty capable ninja last time I checked," she retorted, clearly annoyed.

The pineapple haired ninja groaned. "Come on! I'll explain as we go!" he said loudly before jumping from the limb he stood on to the next, not caring if the kunoichi caught up or not.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Temari called as she put her fan away and ran to catch up.

It took her a few minutes, but she finally managed to fall in step with the Konoha Chuunin. "Damn, what the hell was that for?"

Shikamaru ignored her comment and began to talk about the situation. "Naruto's probably fighting Sasuke by himself right now because there were at least five Oto ninja in the group and Lee came as back up – I still can't believe he managed to get out of the village without getting caught," he mumbled the last part to himself.

Temari's eyes widened. "You mean the info Hokage-sama gave us was false?!"

Shikamaru briefly shook his head. "What she told you was what she knew. After spying on our enemy while trying to make a surprise attack plan, I felt another chakra signature in the area that seemed pretty strong. I didn't mention it because the group was already paranoid enough… there goes my good judgment."

Temari would have bonked the kid on the head for his stupidity had they not been trying to help another comrade. "You really are a complete idiot." Shikamaru sighed. "I can't believe I lost to someone like you in the Chuunin exams…Wait! How'd you know Lee was coming?"

"Sensed him in the middle of the battle with that red head."

Temari gave a quick nod in recognition.

"Let's speed up. I don't know how Chouji and Neji are faring, but we have to be closer to Naruto than we are to them. And besides, if need be, the medics can get to them a lot easier than they can get to Naruto if he gets hurt."

Temari nodded and pumped some chakra into her legs to speed up even more. Wait a second, why did this Naruto kid sound so familiar? "Hey, pineapple," she called over to Shikamaru. He turned his head slightly with a grunt at the nickname. "Who's this Naruto? He sounds familiar… all I know is that Gaara seemed to jump at the opportunity to pay him bac– Oh… shit, did he mean that?" Her eyes widened in realization. Naruto was the one that had beat Gaara to the ground during the invasion at the Chuunin exams! How in the hell had she forgotten him? He was the one who had brought her little brother back to the line of humanity! No wonder he wanted to help him so badly…

Shikamaru smirked at her understanding. Maybe she would be a little more cooperating now.

"Yeah, that's the one. And if we don't hurry, he might not be there for Gaara to pay back at all."

Temari stared at him. "Wait, if he's fighting Sasuke by himself, shouldn't he be able to beat him? The Uchiha didn't last more than five minutes against Gaara."

Shikamaru grunted. "Can't be too sure. I have a feeling they went all out this time. If you pay attention, you can feel waves of chakra coming from that area up ahead. Get ready because this could get very dangerous in a few seconds."

The Suna kunoichi nodded and looked forward again. It seemed as if there was a canyon or something similar that would come up pretty soon, and judging by the energy waves that were coming toward them, there was a really big fight taking place.

She turned to Shikamaru once more. "What do you plan on doing when we get there? Whatever it is, remember my mission is to drag you back to Konoha, preferably alive."

He continued looking forward, but responded, "I don't really know. We just need to do whatever it takes to get Naruto out of there safely, and try our best to get Sasuke back as well. Naruto is priority, though."

Temari nodded slowly. She honestly had no idea how the two of them would be able to stop a battle at the level it was on. Hopefully there would be a victor by the time they got there… and hopefully it was Naruto.

xxx

Naruto stared furiously at Sasuke from across the gorge through blood red eyes. He had no real train of thought going anymore – all he felt was the need to beat down the person in front of him until he submitted into returning to the village with him. That desire was only increased with each bit of chakra that came from the Kyuubi as he grew angrier at the Uchiha bastard.

Sasuke was coming back to Konoha.

And that was final.

He kept his eyes locked onto the missing nin as he unconsciously began formed a sphere made of chakra in his only working hand. The stupid duck butt had broken his left arm, and for some reason it still wasn't healing. Not that he really cared. As long as he could continue to fight, he didn't care which bones in his body were broken.

The blonde let a rough growl escape his throat as he flexed his claw-like fingers and felt that his attack was ready. The same seemed to be going on with the Uchiha and his ball of electricity.

The two seemed to mentally know that the other was ready, so they both jumped off of their respective ledges and toward one another at the same time. As they grew closer to each other, they both pulled back their arms and glared at each other one last time.

Naruto felt his fangs grow longer slightly because they punctured his skin a bit. Damn that bastard!

This was it.

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"

xxx

Temari's eyes widened considerably as she heard the name of the attacks that were called out. She recognized the 'Chidori' one because of the information on Hatake Kakashi she had received prior to the invasion, but didn't recognize the 'Rasengan.' Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. She felt the intensity of the chakra exertion increase to dangerous levels and shoved Shikamaru out of the air and to the ground.

He was about to yell in complaint, but stopped when he saw branches of all sorts getting blown away from overhead and silently thanked the blonde kunoichi. He felt that she had saved him once again…

…Up until the point where his backed slammed against the ground and he had the air knocked out of him.

He tried to move around to regain his breath, but found that she was holding him firmly against the ground so he couldn't budge. _Troublesome…_

As soon as the winds died down, Temari released him from her grasp and quickly stood up. He found it odd that she was starting to panic over someone that wasn't even from her own village. Well, given what Naruto had done for her brother… it was understandable.

Once she was up, he had to jump off the ground immediately to start running so she wouldn't leave him in the dust. He would have bugged her about her panicking if he weren't feeling the same way. He had a good feeling that Chouji and Neji were okay, but he wasn't so sure about Naruto.

The duo soon came upon the valley that they had seen earlier and sent chakra to their feet and began descending the wall to reach the bottom where they saw what looked like someone lying on the ground. It was hard to tell by how far up they were.

xxx

In the darkness of Naruto's mindscape, a beastly roar sounded. **So… dark…** Moments later, a large wave of blood colored chakra was sent through the bars that separated the beast from the human, which soon encircled said human slowly.

The problem was… the body was clearly not accepting any of the chakra that was being offered to it.

**Take… it…** the beast mumbled as it sent even more through its bars, only to have the same thing happen again. It roared even more as the place grew even darker. It could feel its container's heart begin to slow down with every passing minute.

Time was running out.

Very quickly.

It growled in frustration as it ran through its options. Dying was definitely not one of them.

So then, what was?

xxx

Temari's jaw dropped when she reached the bottom of the valley only seconds before Shikamaru did. She left him behind and went over to the bloody heap that lied in the middle just before the waterfall met the land. Her eyes widened in horror when she stopped and realized it was the blonde that they had come to rescue.

And had apparently failed at doing so.

She shook her head and dropped to her knees to examine him. Even though she didn't have much knowledge in the medical field, she still knew how to see if someone was alive or not. By the looks of it, the blonde was long gone. Both of his arms looked to be broken, but that wasn't what scared her. What did scare the blonde kunoichi was that in the area where his heart was, all she could see was a big mess of blood. If any attack had punctured his heart, there was next to no chance of getting him back to the village alive.

She checked the possible locations of finding a pulse, and was overjoyed to feel something. It wasn't big, but it was something. She slipped her arms under the blonde to lift him up. He wasn't that heavy, but it did require some effort. She quickly turned around to go back over to Shikamaru, even though she was still a bit panicked about getting the blonde back to his village on time.

That is, until she collapsed to the ground while holding the blonde, and her world went black.

xxx

Temari grumbled as she slowly opened her eyes, and then closed them again right away. _Stupid blaring sun… Wait!_ She jerked into a sitting position and stared up at the sky.

And sure enough, the sun was out and shining away.

_Wasn't it raining just a minute ago?_ She looked around and spotted Naruto no more than a foot away from her. _Right! I need to get him back to the village!_ She scooted over to him and slipped her arms under him like she had earlier before lifting him off the ground.

As she stood up, she almost dropped him again by the sight before her. _Holy shit! Where the hell are the statues?!_ Sure enough, where there used to stand the statues of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, now stood nothing but thin air. Her eyes widened. _What the hell is going on?_

"Shikamaru?" she called out, but received no response. "Shikamaru, where are you?" Still, she received no response. _Where'd he go?_ She turned around to look in all directions for him.

_I can't worry about him now. If I don't get this brat to the hospital in Konoha soon, Gaara's going to murder me._ She took off sprinting at that and raced up the wall with the blonde Uzumaki in her arms.

Once she reached the top, she was about to take to the trees when she heard a voice call out from behind her.

"Where are you going, young girl?"

She was about to ignore it, but her curiosity got the better of her, so she turned around to see who it was…

…Only to have her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

Before her stood what looked to be a fur trader. He was pushing a cart full of animal skins across a bridge that crossed over the Valley of the End. Since when had that been there? She shook her head. That didn't matter right now because she needed to hurry.

He looked harmless enough.

"Um, Konoha," she replied weakly.

He stared at her in confusion. "Where's that?"

xxx

A/N: Just a new story idea I came up with. I've been have a writer's block lately with 'The Samurai Ninja,' so I decided to take a break from that and start something new. I have no idea where this will be going, so don't expect another update too soon. I just want to see what people think of it.

Later,

Zashire


	2. The Familiar Symbol

Valley of the Wind  
Chapter 2: The Familiar Symbol  
By: Zashire

"Where is this Konoha that you spoke of?" the man repeated when he received no response from the blonde haired kunoichi. On his person, he wore a long dark brown robe that was tied around his waist by a thick piece of rope. Sticking out at the bottom of his robe were two black colored boots that were covered in fur, similar to the skins that were hanging at random points on his cart. His hair was a dark shade of grey, which made him out to be an old man. To Temari, he seemed to be an ordinary merchant.

The kunoichi was about to respond, but stopped herself when she felt something burn at her skin. She looked down and saw that a thin layer of dark red chakra was covering all visible points of the blonde's body. She needed to get him some help. Maybe the merchant knew where the nearest village was?

"I said, where–" the old man began but was cut off.

"Hey, do you happen to know the way to the closest town?"

He grunted at the disrespect, and was about to retort angrily at the girl, but stopped when he saw what she was carrying. "Girl, get him over here this instant!"

Temari obeyed without question. She had a weird instinct that always seemed to make her listen and obey her elders without complaint. It took her less than two seconds to reach the man as he shoved his cart the rest of the way across the bridge and stopped when he came up to her. She made herself seem jumpy to get him to start talking.

"I recognize that sort of chakra, and I know someone who can help your friend there," he quickly explained.

Temari's eyes widened, "Fine, but we need to move quickly!" She still wasn't sure whether to trust the man or not, but figured that it might be the only possible way to save Naruto.

The man immediately pulled off his dark robe to reveal some metallic armor that looked similar to the pictures of ancient samurai that the Suna kunoichi had seen back in her home town once before. She watched as he pulled out a short dagger, and tried to back away in case of an attack, but before she managed to do anything, he used the handle of the weapon to knock her across the back of the head.

She promptly passed out and fell into the man's arms. He kneeled down and placed the blonde boy on the ground. He grunted, but drifted off into a dreamless sleep only seconds later. The old man sighed before moving the girl onto his back. He expertly pulled the thick rope piece off his robe and tied the girl's wrists together once they were around his neck. He then bent over and lifted up the blonde boy once more and finally stood up.

He glanced back at his cart. _I'll come back for it later…_ were his last thoughts before taking off into the trees that surrounded the valley.

xxx

Hareshi sighed as she leaned against a tall oak tree, and let her weapon fall to the ground beside her.

Patrol duty was sooo boring! Why did she always have to get stuck with it?

Oh, that's right, because she was one of the only ones in the clan who had senses that could almost rival that of the wolves. Stupid genetic inheritance.

She sighed once more as she pulled out her canteen that was now only half full. _At least I'm on break…_ She thought with a smile as she let the cold, refreshing liquid run down her throat. That was probably one of the best parts of her daily life. Her break.

"Arf! Arf!" Hareshi turned to the source of the noise and smiled as a small black and white dog came running up to her.

"Hey, Maui-chan," the young woman greeted. "You can drop the act. Everyone knows we can speak to each other."

The dog grinned as best as she could and placed the item that was in her mouth on the grass. "Sorry, Hareshi-chan… I, uh, got caught up in the moment again," she explained, while looking about as embarrassed as any animal could.

"It's fine," Hareshi said with a smile.

Hareshi was a somewhat tall woman for her age. She was still in her teens, but was left with only two years before she could officially be called an adult. She had dark brown hair that matched the bark on the tree that she sat up against, with equally dark brown eyes. One red stripe was painted on each side of her tanned face, which indicated the clan she hailed from. Her outfit consisted of a tightly wrapped grey robe that went down to about mid-thigh. Beneath that, she wore a light brown tank top with dark black shorts. Her outfit could be considered bland, but for her, it was all she needed to be a successful ninja.

She glanced to her right – to where she had tossed her weapon aside. It was a finely crafted staff that she desperately loved. It had very ornate details, and she considered herself one of the luckiest people on the continent to have it. The staff had been a birthday gift for her when she had turned eleven, and through the five years in which she had owned it, she had never parted with it once.

Her attention then turned back to her dog. Oh, how she loved Maui. The dog was at least seven or eight years old right now, yet she still acted like a newly born puppy… only much more obedient. The fact that she could communicate with her on a very high level was an added bonus from her genetics.

"Murosaki-sama told me to deliver this to you. She also said that if you forget your lunch one more time, you're going to miss eating for the following two days," Maui recited from memory.

Hareshi gawked at her furry friend. "What?!" she shrieked. "You can tell her that I'm sorry for forgetting my food at FOUR IN THE MORNING!"

Maui's eyes widened as her partner raised her voice to new levels, and she back away slightly in fear. "Sorry, Hareshi-chan, but I'm just following Murosaki-sama's orders," the little dog explained while shaking.

The brown haired teen instantly calmed down. "Sorry, Maui-chan. It's just mom can be so pushy sometimes…"

_Sometimes…? _The dog stared in disbelief. That girl's mother was _always _like this.

"Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Maui-chan," Hareshi said before pulling over the cloth that contained her food. As she ate, she gave some of it to Maui, and they both managed to enjoy it while the sun passed over head, telling them it was just after noon.

Maui got up from the grass and shook herself. "I think I better get going."

The brunette nodded and said a quick goodbye before reaching over to pick up her staff. She gave a sigh. Time to go back to work. How fun.

Just as she stretched a bit, she saw something zip past her.

"Aw, crap!" she exclaimed before turning on a heel into the direction the thing had gone in. No way was this going to ruin her perfect record of keeping the border safe. She may have been on a break, but she took order patrol seriously, despite how much she hated it. She was the one who helped protect everyone inside the small village, and it was her duty to help keep it peaceful.

She tried her best to speed up, but the figure that turned out to be a man ran far too fast for her. _Damn it!_

Hareshi saw him weave his way through some people as he ran down the makeshift street. She tried to do the same, but wasn't nearly as skilled as the man, and focused more on not taking out anyone rather than catching him.

Once she made it through the group of people, she managed to spot him over twenty five meters away. It took only seconds to get there, but by the time she made it, he was already another thirty five away. She continued to trail him until he finally stopped at a building. It took her a moment to realize what it was, but once she did, everything made sense.

She hoped her leader wouldn't murder her later for this.

xxx

The grey haired man entered the building before him and called out to no one in particular for some help. A young woman came running out in response and stopped right before him.

"What is it you–" she started, but cut herself off when she spotted the young blonde in the grey haired man's arms. Her eyes widened at the blood on his chest. "Right this way!"

She offered to take the blonde boy, but the older man refused knowing he could carry him far faster than the young nurse could. She nodded warily and called for some assistance before running down the hallway, all the while urging the older man to follow her. He did as instructed and in no time, they found themselves in a small open room.

He laid the blonde boy down on the bed and several other nurses entered and began to take his jumpsuit off. It took them a while to figure out how to remove the foreign clothing, but they managed. None of them had ever seen bright orange on someone's outfit before, so this was all new to them.

The nurse that had brought him there asked him to go with her to just outside the room. He quickly followed and soon found himself under a death glare.

"I don't know what you ninja have been doing lately, but if we find out this kid got hurt because he was under your training, you're going to have to answer to me and all of the other employees here, including Shimu-sama," she left the last part as an open threat. She saw he was about to retort, but cut him off. "I've never seen a child of his age so close to death before, but still alive. He's going to be in a lot of pain when – if he wakes up." Her eyes softened as she looked back to the room.

The older man sighed. "All I can tell you–" He stopped when he heard something groan. He turned around, but realized it was the girl he had tied to his back. How had she wakened up so quickly?

Before he could do anything, he fell to his knees because the girl had used her foot to kick the back side of them. He quickly grabbed her hands and slipped them over his head to free her from his body, but quickly flipped her around so he was, in a way, holding her hands behind her back.

She grunted as she cracked her eyes open again and took in the room around her. A nurse stood next to a doorway to her immediate right and had a frightened look on her face. She glanced down and saw an arm wrapped around her stomach to hold her in place. She then looked up and saw the face of her captor staring right back down at her. He had an unreadable look on his face. No one was talking, so she decided to take the initiative.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, immediately feeling stupid for putting it so bluntly.

The man gave her a curious look. "I believe it was you who asked me for the assistance."

She grunted again. "I didn't think that would include getting knocked out."

"I have my reasons."

She sighed. She would have gave an angry retort, but once again, she'd had it beaten into her at an early age to respect her elders unless in a dire situation. Her life didn't seem to be at risk, so the rules seemed to apply. "What happened to Naruto?"

The grey haired man tilted his head to the side before a look of comprehension crossed his face. "The nurses here are trying to heal him as we speak."

She nodded thankfully. "Where's 'here?'"

His face remained impassive. "I'll tell you if our leader permits it. By the way, what's your name?" She turned away from him. "This will increase your chances of being allowed to live later," he added in a convincing tone.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Temari," she blurted out.

He gave a small grin. "Well, Temari-san, let us get going." He lifted her up as he stood up. The man then turned to the nurse. "Sorry, but I'll be taking my leave now. Please do your best for the boy, and some ninja will be here shortly to watch him."

The nurse nodded dumbly, still surprised by the scene that had just played out. She shook her head and reentered the hospital room.

Temari looked back at the older man. "Can't I at least walk on my own?"

He shook his head. "Not until the leader decides what to do with you," he spoke in an authoritative tone. She huffed as they began to walk down the hall to the exit. "Besides, this is a little payback for that earlier kick."

Her eyes widened for a split second before a wave of anger flashed over her. "Ah, ah, ah… remember, here, your life means nothing as of yet." She grumbled, but quieted down. He then leaned over her shoulder and spoke quietly. "The only reason I even kept you alive is because of that symbol on your friend's headband."

She turned to face him, and he smiled slightly. "I'm sure you two will be fine as long as you're not spies. Given some of your reactions, I'm leaning toward the 'idiotic kids' suggestion."

Her anger returned in a moment, and he tightened his grip on her wrists as they continued walking toward… well wherever he was planning on taking her.

xxx

Senju Hashirama was not in a good mood. The normally calm and collected man was currently read to kill someone… and that was putting it lightly.

"Why did you not report this to me when they first crossed the border?!"

"I'm sorry sir, but Hareshi-san seemed to have a decent handle on the situation," the young girl in front of him explained in a nervous voice. She wore an outfit similar to Hareshi's, but hers was a dark shade of grey instead. Her hair was about as close to black as anyone's could get, and her eyes were light and pale.

He tried his best to calm himself down. It didn't work too well, but he felt a bit better. He was about to go on when he saw one of his servants come up to him with, presumably, some news.

The servant bowed quickly to his master. "Pardon the interruption, Senju-sama, but Kugiro-sama would like to have a word with you. He says it is very urgent."

Hashirama's eyes widened. Since when did Kugiro every want to see him while he was on the job? Something pretty damn important must have come up for this to happen. Hashirama quickly regained his composure and gave a slight nod to the servant. "Tell him to come in," he ordered before turning to back to the young woman. "I'm going to have to cut our time short, Kikyo-san, but please remember our talk in the future. I do not want to hear of this happening ever again. Are we clear?"

The dark haired girl nodded. "Hai, Senju-sama!"

Hashirama sighed. "Dismissed."

The girl known as Kikyo stood up and gave a brief bow before running over to the door. As she passed though, she had to slip off to the side because a man was in the process of entering along with a girl who followed behind him. He grunted as she almost ran into them, but waved it off.

Kugiro guided the girl behind him up to where Hashirama was standing. Instead of bowing like Kikyo had, he just gave a brief nod of respect. Hashirama did the same and took a seat on the floor. Once he was down, Kugiro followed suit and dragged the girl down with him, arms still tied in front of her.

Hashirama raised his eyebrows at the sight before him. "Am I correct to assume that you were the one that caused the border trouble earlier, uncle?" he questioned, revealing to the girl the relationship between the two.

Senju Kugiro rolled his eyes. "Not my fault the ninja here can't keep track of a person who's over forty years their senior. Honestly, Hashirama, you need to set up better training programs."

The younger man before him huffed. "I will take that as a 'yes.' Onto more pressing matters, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?"

Kugiro dropped all the masks of humor and put on a face of seriousness. "I found this girl," he began his explanation, moving a hand in the direction of the blonde kunoichi. "Calls herself Temari. She was carrying a blonde boy who is apparently named 'Naruto.' He was badly wounded so I knocked her out and brought the both of them back here to get some treatment. I was going to let them go once they got all fixed up, but saw something that I believe would catch your interest."

Hashirama's ears perked up at the last sentence. He watched as his uncle dug deep within his large pocket and produced a blue piece of cloth that had a plate of metal attached to it. Hashirama's eyes widened just before his uncle continued his explanation.

"See the symbol here? It looks awfully familiar, doesn't it?"

Hashirama ignored the question and turned to the kunoichi. "Explain this."

It wasn't a question, it was an order.

Temari shifted a bit. How much should she tell them?

After a few moments of silence, Kugiro grunted and before the blonde knew what was happening, there was a small dagger at her throat. She could feel the old man's breath on her neck.

"You better do what Hashirama orders you to do, otherwise there might be one less blonde in this country by the end of the day," he whispered into her ear, so quietly it sent a shiver up her spine. This was worse than what Gaara could do with his sand. She looked up toward Hashirama for help, but found him wearing an impassive stare. "He's not going to help you out here," the whispering continued.

Temari felt another tingle begin to make its way up her spine, but suddenly stopped. She sat up straighter and looked Hashirama in the eye. She paid no attention to Kugiro, and cleared her throat. "Would it be possible to make a deal?"

The man who looked to be in his early thirties eyed her warily. "That may be possible. It depends on what you can bring to the table."

Temari nodded, and her gaze briefly flickered to Kugiro. Hashirama understood and waved for his uncle to stand down. The man nodded and moved back over to his seat. _Damn, he's creepy!_ Temari finally allowed herself to think.

Hashirama coughed and she looked back at him. "State your offer."

She nodded. "In return for the information on the headband plus any other questions you have that– Holy shit!" Temari exclaimed at the end, but slapped her tied up hands over her mouth as soon as the swear left it. "I'm sorry, but did I hear you correct in that your name is Senju Hashirama?"

Said man frowned but nodded.

Her eyes widened. "B-but you're supposed to be dead!"

Kugiro slapped a hand over his face. "Not something you say to a man who just passed thirty."

Hashirama glared at Kugiro briefly, but turned his attention back to Temari. "What do you mean by I'm 'supposed to be dead?'"

"You're the Shodai Hokage of Konoha! They're on their Godaime right now, so how are you still alive?!"

"Please lower your voice and explain," Hashirama commanded quietly. "And start with the beginning."

Temari did so, but was still fidgety. She began the tale starting with the mission to retrieve Sasuke and gave the man all of the background he needed. She even told him about the demon Naruto contained; not realizing it was an S-class secret, punishable by death. She didn't know which demon he contained, but knew it had to be pretty powerful. The blonde had no idea why, but she felt she could trust the man given that he was one of the founders of the most powerful village on the continent. She could tell that he was the real deal based on the symbol that was marked in various places on his outfit.

As she finished, Hashirama and Kugiro stared at her in disbelief, though Hashirama hid his far better.

Finally, Hashirama spoke up. "While your story is quite enthralling, I believe one of the verifying points will be to examine this Naruto that you spoke of." Temari nodded. "And for now, you are welcome in our village. I know for a fact that you are no spy." She then tilted her head to the side. "If you had been, I would have picked up a difference in your chakra signature with my Mokuton bloodline."

She nodded briefly and held back a yawn.

Hashirama noticed this. "Kugiro, would you please show Temari-san around the village for a bit? Once you are done, I will have a place for her to sleep for her stay."

Temari quickly put two and two together and realized that the entire town, albeit small, had been built using Hashirama's ability with wood. That was an impressive feat. How many people could say they built their own village singlehandedly and actually mean it?

Kugiro nodded and stood up. He asked Temari to stand, and she did so too. He quickly untied her wrists and put the rope away in a pocket before leading her to the door after his nephew had dismissed them. He sighed briefly. It still didn't feel right taking orders from that man. That was life…

Once they reached the doorway, Temari turned around. Hashirama, as if reading her mind, instantly responded, "Tomorrow is another day." She gave a small smile and followed Kugiro out the door. She was going to ask him when they would talk again. Tomorrow it was.

When they were outside, Temari suddenly stopped when she realized something. She turned to the grey haired man. "Where's my fan?"

Kugiro's eyes widened as he started to sweat. "Uh… that thing on your back was a weapon?"

She nodded as a deep frown appeared on her face.

"Definitely not in the garbage… Nope! No way!" he said as he took off running.

Temari grit her teeth before taking off after him. "Wait till I get my hands on you!"

xxx

Hashirama grinned as he heard the screams of absolute terror coming from outside. Tomorrow definitely would be another day. Apparently, Kugiro wished for it to come sooner rather than later, if his cries of pain were anything to go by.

xxx

A/N: And it ends on a light note.

Don't worry, everything will be explained in the next couple of chapters. The next one will be the first one where things are going to start settling down a bit. Oh, and if you think you know what clans Hareshi and Kikyo are from, you're probably right. That will be explained as well in the next chapter.

Also, things in this story, like when events take place, may be at different times in this story because of Naruto and Temari's sudden appearances.

I think that's about it… Just wanted to throw that out there. ^^ Hope you liked it.

Zashire


	3. In the Past

Valley of the Wind  
Chapter 3: In the Past  
By: Zashire

Several days passed before Temari was able to see Hashirama again. She was slightly annoyed that the appointment hadn't held strong, but understood that he had responsibilities toward his clan first and foremost. In that time, many things had happened.

First off, she had met a girl named Inuzuka Hareshi, who had apparently been chasing after her and Kugiro when they had first entered the small village. She had come to apologize, thought she did it fairly reluctantly, and had probably been ordered by someone to do it. Temari's opinion of her was neutral at best. She seemed like a kind girl, but one who acted as a ninja just for the benefits of the job, and her personality resembled that of those Ino and Sakura girls. Well, who was she to judge? She may have just been acting harsh. Maybe she would get to know the Inuzuka later.

Another thing that she was thankful for was the fact that she had been allowed to wander the city freely once her tour with Kugiro was over. She found it to be a nice and quiet place, but had a weird observation. _Everyone_ there was either a ninja or someone who provided all they could for ninja. The ratio of ninja to civilian had to be close to ten to one. This didn't seem right at all. Her only theory for as to how they got there was that Naruto's demon had pulled some stunt while she was carrying him. There wasn't any other way that everything could have happened. If they were still in their own time, Hashirama would have been almost one hundred years old. He didn't look that old when she spoke with him.

Speaking of which… how in the hell had she forgotten to ask him at least _something_ about where they were?! That _had _to be the stupidest thing she had ever done. _Ever_. What kind of ninja spilled everything they knew to a potential enemy? _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

She sighed as she walked down the street in the direction of the, well, clan leader's house for the third day in a row. He was never there when she stopped by, and it made her get more and more frustrated each and every time it happened. At least they didn't have her tied up anymore. She was free to make an escape whenever she wanted to… although that didn't seem like a very good idea at the moment.

"_If you do leave, your life will most likely be forfeit. Hashirama has agreed to let you stay here which puts you under the protection of our clan and a few others who have allied with us. We are the _strongest_ clan on this continent, so you'd best do as he has told you and stay here while we have agreed to give you protection."_

Temari sighed at the response she had been given. That pretty much narrowed down her options to about one. She and Naruto would have to stay until Hashirama didn't want them there anymore, or they found their way back home. She hoped the second option would hurry up because if Naruto woke up, the first option would be it. She knew for a fact that the kid was annoying, given what Shikamaru had told her, but some part of her wanted to see it with her own eyes. No one could be as bad as what Shikamaru had described… could they?

She shook her head and continued on her way.

Once she got there, she walked in and asked a servant if she could she Hashirama. He replied that he would tell his master that she was there, but didn't guarantee a meeting. Surprisingly, the same man returned a moment later and said that his master was expecting her. Temari tilted her head to the side before following the servant to the back.

She greeted Hashirama with a quick bow, much like she did for the Kazekage, and then sat down on her knees in front of him. She removed her fan and placed it on the ground beside herself, remembering how much fun it had been getting it back.

Hashirama saw her begin to space out, and coughed. "I know why you have come, and let me say that I am sorry I could not get to you sooner, but clan matters take priority over these." Temari nodded in understanding. The same thing happened back in Suna all the time. If her father had matters in his own village, people that were visiting had to be put off for later. "I also wanted to let you know that your friend woke up this morning just before sunrise. That is another reason why I was waiting to speak with you. I would rather talk to you as a group instead of individually," Hashirama explained.

Temari's eyes widened when he said that Naruto was awake. She almost missed the rest of his speech, but managed to keep her mouth shut until the very end. "But how is he awake?! When I found him, his heart had almost completely stopped."

The Senju leader nodded quickly. "Well, my theory, given that what you told me several days ago is true, is that this demon he contains did something to the both of you that made the boy's heart 'jumpstart,' so to speak. I cannot tell you anymore until we see the boy because I do not know what this demon is even capable of. We may never know."

_That's not an option_, Temari thought. What if they never found out how they got there? How would they get back then? Memories of Gaara, Kankuro, her mother, and Yashamaru came flooding back to her. Would she ever see her brothers again? _Damn it!_ She cried to herself as she felt a few tears travel down her face. She tried to wipe them away before the man before could see them, but it was too late.

"I did not say that you would never see your loved ones again, but we cannot predict the future from where we are right now. That friend of yours, Naruto, is the key to figuring this all out. If he or I cannot get the answer from the demon, I do not think anyone can," Hashirama explained.

Temari finished wiping away her tears, and slowly nodded.

"With that aside, I believe it is time we go see this Naruto," the Senju leader said in a kind voice. Before she knew it, he was in front of her with an outstretched hand. She grabbed her fan and then took the offered hand, which then pulled her to her feet. She strapped the weapon to her back and followed the man out the door.

"Another talk I would like to have in the near future would be about some of your weaponry. I believe that it could be beneficial to this clan," the man said while glancing at the fan that was on her back.

She noticed this and smirked. "If you think this fan is impressive, you're in for a long ride."

He smirked back. "Our clan may have the same effect on you."

Temari gave a brief nod before focusing back on where they were going. If Naruto was awake, then she wanted some answers, and damn it, she was going to get them.

xxx

Naruto stared at the ceiling for what felt like ages. Where the hell was he? It was definitely not Konoha's hospital for several reasons: one, the walls were dark brown and looked to be made of wood, and two, the view from his window showed no signs of the city that he could remember. All he could see was a small building with some foods hanging around the entrance. No one kept their things like that back in Konoha for the fear of it being stolen – seeing someone do it so willingly surprised him a lot. This was definitely not Konoha.

So if he wasn't in Konoha, where was he?

He closed his eyes and remembered everything he could before he had passed out, which was very little. What-

Oh, right. Sasuke.

Naruto frowned deeply as he thought about that name. His supposed best friend had actually tried to kill him. His frown grew even more as he worked his way through the battle in his head, up until the point where the bastard had plunged his hand through his chest. He winced slightly at the memory, and unconsciously moved his left hand over his chest to where the Chidori had gone through…

…Only to find his hand unresponsive.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked down at the motionless limb. He tried to move it again, but found he couldn't. _Damn, what did the medics do? Cut off the cir- ciku- Aw, crap!_ He thought, annoyed. If the medics had cut off the circulation to his arm, they would have to deal with one pretty pissed off blonde.

He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts, and focused once more on his left arm. Even if the medics _had_ done something wrong, shouldn't the Kyuubi have just fixed it? That's what the beast always did before, and given the feeling of his chest, he had done it again… So why had he healed everything _but_ his left arm?

Before the blonde could think about it anymore, he heard a knock on the door. It immediately opened to reveal a young nurse. The blonde grunted at the rudeness, but offered a nod. Couldn't they give him some warning if they were coming in other than a knock? What if he had been changing his clothes?

The nurse ignored him and moved out of the way so another man could enter. He didn't recognize him, but noticed another figure behind even him. He watched as a blonde girl who wasn't much older than him came in. He recognized her immediately.

"Temari?!" Said girl grunted in embarrassment, but was glad to see the blonde awake. She quickly nodded, and glanced at the man.

He flicked his eyes to the nurse. "Would you please allow us a few minutes alone?"

The nurse's eyes widened. "But Senju-sama–"

"I am quite sure that I will be able to take on two children if they suddenly decide to attack me," he cut her off, not even looking at the woman. She nodded reluctantly and left the room quietly.

The man looked over to Naruto, whose eyes were wider than what seemed humanly possible.

"S-Senju?" the teen asked in shock.

The man nodded slowly. "Yes, my name is Senju Hashirama."

Before the blonde could embarrass himself further, Temari cut in. "Okay, Naruto. Stop the talking for just one minute. Yes, this man is who you think he is, and before you ask, no, I will not explain it right now. What I need you to do is to show him your seal. I don't know what kind of demon you contain, but it's our only way to show him we're not insane."

The other blonde stared at her with wide eyes. He glanced at Hashirama, who promptly gave Temari a 'the-hell-was-that?' look. Her way of taking over the conversation had been nothing short of abrupt, yet productive. She had gotten her point across, though slightly unorthodox… He looked back to Naruto.

"So… you guys know about the Kyuubi?" he asked looking at the ground once the initial shocked passed over him.

Temari stared. "You mean the beast you used to take down the Shukaku was the Kyuubi?!"

Naruto looked up. "I thought you just said you knew." He tilted his head to the side. "Where-" he began, but stopped when he remembered the 'no explanation' thing Temari had just said.

"I said I knew you contained a demon, not which one. Besides, didn't Yondaime Hokage kill of that thing years ago?" she retorted, confused.

Hashirama's ears perked up slightly by the name. He waited for the boy to react because if he did, that might help them prove their case, if only a bit.

Naruto's expression changed to one of sadness. "Well, yes and no. Can I just explain it later? What did you need me to do again?" he said, trying to avoid the topic.

Temari tried to straighten herself a bit, but couldn't stop a surprised look from appearing on her face. She sighed to calm herself down. "Show Senju-sama your seal, you know, like the one Gaara has?"

The blonde nodded in understanding, but still froze a bit at the 'Senju' part. He knew about _all_ of the Hokage, and the Shodai was no different. It was the one part of Iruka's lectures that he had actually paid attention to. If his sensei was correct, then the man was one of _the_ most powerful ninja on the whole continent. He knew about his Mokuton jutsu, and about the fact that he could control… Bijuu. He stared off into space and lifted his right hand to check his neck.

Hashirama felt an aura of anger come from the blonde boy in front of him.

"Where's my necklace?!"

The Senju leader could sense a bit of panic in the kid's voice, which seemed odd. He finally decided to enter the conversation after having just observed the majority of it. "The medics who helped you out handed it over to me… believing you to have robbed me of it." Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "I must say, that would be quite impossible… However, I am wondering how you happened to come about this necklace. You know, there are only–"

"Two in existence," finished the blonde.

Hashirama nodded warily. "Seeing as you did not rob me of it, I will give it back to you. Please try to be more careful with your valuables," he said as he walked over to the blonde and placed the green crystal in his lap.

Naruto picked up the wire and slipped it over his head. He felt slightly more secured with at least one of his belongings on him. He glanced up at Hashirama and looked down to his stomach. He sighed as he began to unwrap the bandages that were placed tightly around his abdomen.

Hashirama was about to stop him, but saw Naruto shake his head. Instead of stopping him, he reached over to help the blonde, seeing that it was hard for him to grad at the parts on his back, and started to unravel him. Naruto winced a few times as he noticed how recently his wounds had been closed up, but managed to keep any signs from his face while the man was watching.

The Senju leader saw the boy wince, despite his efforts to hide it. _Brave kid_, he thought, but continued with his task. Soon the bandages were off and Hashirama was staring at the kid's blank stomach.

Naruto put his hands together in a seal that meant chakra would be getting involved. Temari watched as Hashirama's moved over to his weapon pouch, and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head toward her, and she shook her head. It didn't stop him from staying on guard.

After a few seconds, an odd design appeared on the blonde's stomach, and Hashirama leaned forward to examine it. Naruto watched his calculating eyes for a moment, only to have him stand upright a minute later.

He sighed softly. "In all honesty, I am having a hard time believing everything you have told me... yet, I _know_ that you two are not spies because, you see, every clan _knows_ that we already have the Kyuubi under our control."

Both of the blondes' eyes widened to enormous sizes. "HOW?!" they said simultaneously. They both glared at each other, but then looked back toward Hashirama.

"Given how you know so much about me already should be explanation enough," he said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

Naruto nodded. "Who is the Jinchuuriki then?"

Hashirama tilted his head very slightly. "We do not use people to seal the creatures. With my power, we have been able to use complicated scrolls for that. You are the first person I have ever seen to have claimed something like this. Honestly, I do not even know the mechanics behind your seal, as I have never laid eyes on one like it before."

Temari watched as the blonde's shoulders sagged downward. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his right around them, feeling like a younger kid again. She walked over him and sat down on the edge of the bed. The older blonde laid a hand on his back, only to have him lash out a moment later.

"You mean all of this shit could've been avoided?!" he growled as he stared into the eyes of the Senju leader with his own red ones. He felt his canines poke his bottom lip, and tasted blood, but ignored the pain. His pain was replaced by anger for everyone who had caused him to go through hell and back. He normally tried to feel happiness in place of the hurt, he really did… but when he was talking to someone who might have been able to help eradicate the problem before it started, well, he just couldn't contain those bottled up feelings any longer.

Hashirama watched him, mostly unfazed. Temari leaned back, but didn't get off the bed. She felt more surprise than fear because she was somewhat used to her brother doing the same thing… only for different reasons.

"As I said before, I am the only one with a bloodline strong enough to do this. If your story is true, then given how many years you lived after me, no it could not have been avoided unless one of my descendants gained the Mokuton abilities as I have. If I did not live at the same time that you did, I could not possibly have helped you in any way," the man explained with an impassive expression.

Naruto grunted and looked away. He felt Temari put her hand on his shoulder again. "It's fine, Naruto," she tried to reassure him.

"No, it's not! It could've saved Gaara and me from going through fucking hell! You know how bad he had it back then. You're his freaking older sister! I still can't believe he turned out like that even though he had you and Kanku–"

She slapped him across the face. "What the hell do you know about our childhood?! I don't care if you _are_ a Jinchuuriki! You didn't have to watch your younger sibling grow up through a life of hatred!"

The blonde growled fiercely. "At least you didn't have to _live_ it!"

"Damn you! No wonder why people say you can piss them off so easily! You're just a fucking little brat! I don't know what Gaara saw in you, but let me tell you: I'm nowhere _near_ seeing it!" By now, Temari had tears streaming down her face. "You weren't the fucking one whose mother's dying wish was for you to make sure your brother grew up happy and loved, but was prevented from doing so by your fucking bastard of a father!"

Naruto bowed his head forward in shame. He was acting selfish right now, and he knew it. There was no way in hell that the problems he and Gaara had encountered while children could have been fixed. He was just being his usual self and acting on every impulse he had. What kind of ninja did that? None, that's who.

Hashirama watched the proceeding in silence. He had been about to silence the kid himself by knocking him out a few times, but stopped when he realized the girl seemed to have the situation under control, whether she knew it or not. From their words, he could gather that the two had lived pretty bad lives thus far, but had a feeling he was only beginning to scratch the surface. He would also have to ask the blonde boy later about why he had a demon sealed inside him, and maybe get some information on this so-called 'Gaara.'

He sighed and looked back at the two. Without knowing it, the two had pretty much given him the proof he needed to verify their story. He would double check that later. So, there was a possible chance of there being not one, but _two_ Kyuubi in existence? That sounded so wrong…

Naruto lifted his head a bit, and mumbled a brief 'Sorry' under his breath. Temari heard it but still frowned as she rubbed away her tears.

"You owe me more than that, Naruto," she grumbled in response. "Finally okay now?"

He nodded slowly, and looked at her. She saw that his eyes were back to the usual cerulean blue, and that his canines were no longer sticking out of the corners of his mouth. She offered a small smile, but found it hard to do. She was still pretty pissed about what he had said, but found that the atmosphere of hatred had been replaced somewhat quickly by one of calmness as soon as the Kyuubi's influence had subsided. It made her feel more relaxed.

Hashirama finally intervened. "I believe I have seen all that I need to, but I would like to ask one more thing. What is your surname, Naruto?"

Naruto gave him a confused look. "Uzumaki."

Now, it was Hashirama's turn to look confused. "Odd."

"Why?"

"Well, to be frank, the only time I have seen hair as bright as yours was when we fought alongside the Namikaze clan."

Naruto promptly passed out.

xxx

A/N: I would have put up a chapter far earlier if I'd had a bit more of an inspiration to write… and more free time. Not that it really mattered since FanFiction seemed to die for a few days. Anyway, now it's up, and I hope you liked it! Next chapter: there WILL be some explanations as to what's going on… finally!

Zashire


	4. A Brief History Lesson

Valley of the Wind  
Chapter 4: A Brief History Lesson  
By: Zashire

Kugiro glanced over his shoulder as he made his way toward his nephew's office.

"Hareshi, get your ass out here. You should know by now that you can't sneak up on me," he spoke in an annoyed tone.

He heard a defeated sigh, and watched as a young teenager came out from behind a stack of barrels.

"Sorry Kugiro-sensei," she mumbled as she came up to him. "I just wanted to apologize about the inconvenience earlier."

"Inconvenience? Think nothing of it. The only one you should be apologizing to is Kikyo. She took the blame for it already."

Hareshi's eyes widened slightly. "She's really too kind for her own good." She paused for a moment. "Um…"

The man sighed. "Spit it out already. I'm late for a meeting with Senju-sama. Are you trying to make me take another blame for you?"

She quickly shook her head. "Not at all! I was just… well," she glanced at the ground. "Who were you carrying when you passed by me at the town border?"

She looked up at her sensei to see him laughing a bit. "Oh, my dear, you did not need to be so concerned about that. In fact, I was going to meet with them and Senju-sama right now. Why don't you come along and talk to them after the meeting?" The younger girl was about to refuse. "You might find the blonde to be cute."

A dark blush immediately spread across her face.

It turned to anger a second later.

And before Kugiro knew it, he was running for his life for the second time in less than a week.

"Who I date is none of your business, sensei!"

xxx

Hashirama was growing impatient as he waited for his uncle to make an appearance. Two blondes were sitting before him and looked to be in the same mood he was in. _Uncle, you had better get here soon_, he thought in a tone that promised pain if his request went unfulfilled.

Lucky for both himself and the impatient man, Kugiro appeared not a second later with a young kunoichi hot on his heels. Hashirama watched as he approached the cabin and waited for the man to enter. He would get an explanation from his uncle later.

"Sorry I'm late." The older man sat down with a nod of respect toward the Senju clan leader.

Hashirama returned the gesture and began. "You all know why you have been called here today, correct?"

The trio nodded, though the blonde boy's lasted a bit longer as he thought back to the day prior. When he had woken up from his little expedition in dream world, he hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut because he had far too many questions that he needed an answer to. He had received most of them, like why a dead man was alive, and where they were. Sadly, the clan leader had kept his mouth shut about several things, saying that he would explain them later, but that was mostly alright because at least he was going to get an answer at some point. He glared at his arm, which sat wrapped in a cast in his lap, and remained completely unusable.

Hashirama cleared his throat to regain their attention. "As I assume you know already, my name is Senju Hashirama." Naruto and Temari gave a quick nod. "And you several questions you would still like to discuss with me?" Temari nodded first. "Then speak."

She took a deep breath as she thought of how to phrase her question. "What relevance does the symbol on my companion's headband have to this village?"

The leader sighed. "Perhaps it would be beneficial to fill you in on our village's background before we go into any more detail about the future." He glanced at them and received two nods. Then he began, "For generations, the Senju clan has been the most powerful family in all of the known lands, only rivaled by the Uchiha clan-" Naruto perked up. Hashirama noticed this, but continued, "-at brief points in time. As time went on, our ancestors grew tired of constantly fighting our enemies through the hiring of warlords. Whenever one would hire our clan, his enemy would immediately take action by hiring the Uchiha clan, and the same would happen the other way around.

"That slowly led to the state we are in now. As I am sure you have noticed, not everyone in this village is from the same clan. The reason behind this is that we have set up a clan alliance system, so whenever we are hired to take on a mission, instead of sending ninja from only our clan, we send some from each of the clans, making ourselves a harder force to defeat because of the variety in abilities. At the moment, we are in the process of negotiating a treaty with the Uchiha clan. If we can accomplish this, the sheer amount of warring will be significantly lower for the fact that the two most feared clans will be allied to each other.

"This is where the symbol on your headband comes into play, Naruto-san. Once we sign the treaty, we hope to establish the first ninja village. I do not know all of the mechanics behind the set up yet, and neither do the Uchiha, but we intend for it to be successful. Once we start that, we have plans to meet with the most powerful daimyo and establish boundaries on the country, enforcing a 'join or leave' policy. Not only will this help us populate the village, but it will also send some clans to different lands. From there, we are hoping to help set up several other villages, all to help regulate everything."

For a moment, Hashirama stopped and smiled slightly. "Pardon me for going so far away from the discussion. That is a matter not many people know about, so please keep it somewhat quiet." The two blondes nodded. Hashirama smiled and began again, "As far as the symbol goes, Kugiro-san brought you here because that is the exact symbol that we had planned for identification purposes in the would-be ninja village. So, you can see why we were curious… though your story has us even more bewildered."

Naruto groaned a bit. Everything was so hard to follow in his explanation! For kami's sake, he had just woken up from nearly dying less than a few days ago! How was he supposed to take all this in so quickly?

Temari glared at him out of the corner of her eye. You don't _groan_ like that when you have an audience with such an important leader. Didn't it register in the idiot's head when he said he was the _leader_ of _the_ most powerful clan anywhere?

Naruto noticed this, and quieted down immediately to see Hashirama raising an eyebrow. Truth be told, it was taking the Senju all of his willpower not to laugh at the poor brat's expression. It was priceless.

Kugiro almost let a chuckle slip, but managed to maintain focus on his nephew.

Temari was the first to speak after that. "So what do we do from here?"

Hashirama sighed again. "That all depends on several factors. For now, just be happy that Kugiro and I are willing to help you." He then looked to Naruto. "Earlier, you mentioned being able to speak with the demon inside of you. Would you be up for me to try something with that so I might speak to him as well?"

Naruto shivered a bit as he thought about the Kyuubi. "Would it get us back to our village?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "We're technically in your village as it is."

"You know what I mean!"

The leader coughed, and both turned to him, embarrassed. "While I can't guarantee anything, I believe that is the only way to go from here. It would also help me better understand how two Kyuubi are in existence… though it wouldn't be too surprising seeing as it is a being made from chakra… yet, it must have some form of a soul to have been sealed away as you explained." He stared off into space for a moment. "Would you be willing to try this now?"

Naruto hesitated, but nodded. "Can I ask you a few questions when this is over?"

"I don't see why not," Hashirama responded, and then turned to Kugiro. "Uncle, could you please make sure no one disturbs this meeting while we are gone?"

Kugiro nodded and told Temari to do the same.

The leader walked over to Naruto. "Please lie down and show me the seal once more." Naruto obliged and in moments, the seal on his stomach was visible.

Hashirama placed his right hand over the seal. "I'm sorry if this stings a bit." Before Naruto could question him, he screamed, but passed out a second later.

Temari's eyes widened and she ran to go help the other blonde, but Kugiro stopped her.

"He knows what he's doing."

She looked back and forth helplessly before sighing in defeat and getting on with her job of keeping everyone else out.

xxx

Naruto grunted in pain as he cracked his eyes open. The sight that met him was the face of worst bastard in the world…

Also known as: Senju Hashirama.

"What in the HELL was THAT?!" he screamed as he wrapped both arms over the seal.

Hashirama was about to retort when a voice interrupted them.

**Finally decided to visit? I was expecting a thank you much earlier than this.**

Naruto turned in the direction of the voice, but only saw darkness behind the metal bars that he was so familiar with.

"Like you'll ever get one, you furry-assed bastard!"

Hashirama glanced at the blonde after hearing his choice of words, and then back to the cage. He stood up, and helped Naruto to do the same.

"Am I correct to believe that you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune?" the Senju clan head spoke.

There was a moment of silence, before a wave of anger flooded through the room, seemingly powered by the being's chakra.

**You…** it growled. **You're the bastard that imprisoned me inside that insolent scroll! I may have some respect for you, given you were one of the only three men to ever seal me, but a scroll! At least that blonde ass had the decency to seal me in a living thing… even if it really is useless…**

"Hey!"

"Quiet, Naruto," Hashirama spoke, but didn't actually look at the blonde.

Naruto stared up at him, but quieted down. It still seemed so… surreal that one of the past Hokage was standing right next to him… alive. Even though the bastard fox was the cause of all this, it was still pretty damn cool that he was talking to a dead guy.

**At least one of you has some sense. So, to what to I owe the pleasure, Senju?**

Hashirama felt a slight shiver go up his spine. Even after all the years that had gone by since he sealed away the bijuu, it was still a bit frightening to have one addressing you personally.

"Would you mind explaining to me why you sent Naruto to a different time… let alone _how _you did it?" Hashirama was still trying to prove to himself that all of this was just some sick joke, but the fact that the Kyuubi was right in front of him wouldn't allow that.

**To preserve my own existence. Do you really believe that I **_**chose**_** this time to visit? I had about ten seconds to live or die. I wanted to live, so here's your result.**

_He never said _how, the dark haired man observed.

Naruto growled. "Then get us back to our own time already! I'm alive and healed now, so what's the point in staying here?!"

**Why should I obey **_**you**_** of all people, brat? I'm sealed away within you, so wherever you are in time has no effect on me. What obligation do I have to make you happy?**

"You're hurting Temari!"

The fox leaned forward, finally allowing his face to be seen.

**You mean that little creature that came with you? No obligations there either. **He paused for a moment, taking in the face of the seething Naruto, and the impassive one of Hashirama. **Senju, might I ask what is to become of the other… version of me?**

Hashirama shook his head. "I have a few theories; however, I haven't gone to check the scroll yet."

**Let's hear'em, then.**

"If it really is true that you are from another time, then that would make it so the two of you are in existence at the same time. What I don't know is this: can you both exist in the same world at once? I doubt that we will ever figure it out for humans, seeing as the two you brought back lived after everyone in this era died. However, what we need to know is how it works for beings made of chakra. It is obvious that you have some sort of a soul given that… Yondaime-" it still felt weird saying the word "-could seal you away with the help of the Shinigami. Since I turned you into a summon that only-"

"Summon?!" Naruto nearly shouted, interrupting Hashirama.

**Shut it, brat!**

The dark haired man grunted a bit at the interruption, but continued, "Yes, summon. One that only people with the Mokuton bloodline could use, depending on their ability with it. I meant for it to stay as a last resort weapon against enemies, which created another reason for them to fear us."

**Theory, please. **The fox spoke in an impatient tone.

The clan leader nodded. "Fine. What I believe, assuming there are now two of you, is that you can't both exist in the same world. You are technically not in our 'world,' and neither is the other Kyuubi. You are in Naruto's mind, so to speak, while the other is in the summoning world. I have no idea what would happen if both of you existed in the same world at once, and I don't have any intention of finding out."

The Kyuubi grunted, the closest sign to an agreement Hashirama thought he was going to get.

"As Naruto said before, do you have any intention of taking him and Temari back to their own time?" the dark haired man questioned.

**Hell no. I nearly tore apart reality just trying to get his heart to start again - you're welcome, brat - and I don't intend to risk it again. I barely survived the jump, even though that was my whole reason for doing anything, so don't count on it.**

The blonde ninja felt like growling at the bastard of a fox. He hurt Temari by doing this, and was risking everyone else's lives just to preserve his own! And now, there was a chance he wasn't going to see any of his friends ever again. Damn it! What would the rest of his team think when he and Temari vanished into thin air? Would anyone miss him? Maybe Iruka, baachan, and a few others, but the list was pretty small. He knew it would hurt those few people to have him gone forever, but they could get over it. What did he matter to a village that hated him?

…But what about Temari? She had Gaara and Kankuro at the very least to return to. They were her family. Besides, it wasn't even her fault for getting caught up in the mess. She had just been trying to help him, and the next thing she knew, she was half a century in the past. How was that fair at all?

It wasn't.

"Damn it, Kyuu-" Naruto's voice was suddenly muffled as a hand covered his mouth.

The hand belonged to the Senju clan head, who didn't even bother looking down at the blonde in his grasp. "Thank you, Kyuubi, but that will-"

Naruto pulled the hand away using his one good arm. "What about my arm?" he asked quickly before he was taken away.

Hashirama quieted down, and allowed the Kyuubi to speak.

The Kyuubi grunted in annoyance. **Your little… friend… used something on it that seems to have badly damaged the nerves. For one reason or another, I cannot seem to repair it. **He paused.** That would also be another reason you may not want to return to your time so quickly. If I do not have access to the chakra pathways in your arm when I use the technique, it will be left in this time…** He drifted off letting it sink in.

Naruto's eyes widened. "But how-"

Hashirama cut him off, reading his mind practically. "We'll take care of that later, Naruto. As for now, thank you for your assistance, Kyuubi."

His only response was the Kyuubi to back away into the shadows once more.

**Learn a thing or two about respect from him, brat…** His voice trailed off as he spoke until they could hear it no more.

Hashirama finally looked down to see an upset blonde. The dark haired man released him, but Naruto stood where he was, one arm still limp in a cast at his side.

The man sighed. "I'm sorry that we can't do anything at the moment. Besides, why don't you think about how to get your arm working again first?"

The blonde nodded slowly.

"Look at it this way: at least you'll have a chance to get to know this Temari better. Seems you really care about her," he said with a smile.

Naruto instantly blushed with wide eyes. He turned and flailed. "I don't like her like that!!!"

"Sure you don't," Hashirama laughed mockingly.

Naruto stared for a minute, never having seen the man laugh before. He seemed to serious to do anything like that. He quickly regained his composure and grunted.

"Let's just get back to the others already."

"Fine, ruin my fun," he muttered. Regaining some sort of office appearance, he said, "Grab my hand, and bite your tongue because this is probably going to hurt as much as it did last time.

Naruto whimpered but did as he was told.

A second later, he screamed as his world went black.

xxx

Temari watched the two in front of her with a bored expression. They had been passed out for what seemed like hours. Kugiro wasn't providing much entertainment either because he was in and out of the office, telling her each and every time to call him if they woke up.

Just as he was about to do it again - and probably earn himself a whack on the head, courtesy of Temari's fan - Naruto groaned and held a hand up to his head.

She instantly brightened, and watched as Hashirama cut his chakra flow before helping the blonde stand up. Naruto brushed himself off as Kugiro walked over.

"I believe that is enough for today," the leader spoke to everyone in general. He saw Temari was about to ask something, and answered it immediately. "It seems you two will be staying here for a while. Naruto will explain it to you later, I trust?" Said blonde nodded. "Very well. Seeing as I have some matters to attend to now, I will have to dismiss this meeting. Uncle, I would like to talk to you later about seeing how valuable these two would be in our ninja force."

Kugiro nodded, and both blondes perked up.

"Uncle will tell you about it later after we meet. So until then, dismissed," he spoke as he went to sit back at his desk.

Kugiro led Temari out, but paused when he saw Naruto standing behind.

Hashirama was already in his paperwork again, when he looked up to see Naruto staring at him.

"Yes?"

"Um… Hash- Senju-sama, can I ask you a question about something you said in the hospital the other day?"

The leader was slightly surprised, but nodded. "Uncle, could you take Temari-san outside for a moment? I will send Naruto out once we have finished."

Kugiro nodded, and then held the door open for the blonde girl. She glanced back at Naruto questioningly, but walked out, with Kugiro right behind her.

Once the door closed, Naruto spoke up, "You know the thing you said about me resembling the Namikaze clan?"

Hashirama nodded. "Yes, and I was quite surprised when you suddenly passed out after that."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "Um… yeah, well, the person that sealed the Kyuubi into me - Yondaime - was a Namikaze. He's also been my hero ever since I can remember for saving everyone like he did, and I've always wanted to somehow find a way to surpass him. So, when you said I looked like someone related to him… well, I kind of got too excited and…"

"Passed out," Hashirama finished.

Naruto nodded. "But I don't really see how I can do that anymore," he said, and lifted his left arm up with his right hand for clarification. "I mean, how many one armed ninja are there? I don't know any," he finished in a bitter tone.

The clan leader went back to doing paperwork. Naruto was about to protest when the dark haired man spoke up again.

"I don't see how you will _ever_ surpass this person, the way you make him out to be, with that kind of attitude. For some reason, while we were speaking with the Kyuubi, I took you to be the type of person who was full of determination… Guess I was wrong," he said with a shrug, and then went on to another document.

Naruto growled, but was ignored. "But how am I supposed to perform jutsu one hand…" he went silent for a moment as a thought came to him. "Haku," he whispered.

Hashirama heard the name, but had no idea who or what he was referring to.

The blonde's right hand reached up and wrapped around the green necklace. "Baachan."

Hashirama was at this point about ready to ask the kid what was wrong. Seriously, it was getting a bit weird, even for one of the most powerful ninja alive.

Before he could voice his concern, a wide grin crossed the blonde's face.

"I will pass him! I don't care what anyone else says because I'll find a way to make it there! Just you wait!" he announced with a proud grin on his face

Hashirama couldn't help but smile at the blonde. Looks like he figured something out when he was mumbling those names. Whatever it was, it had apparently helped him.

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself yet, Naruto. You're still not technically a ninja here quite yet. While I am happy to see the same person in you that I saw back with the Kyuubi, I need to ask you to take a break now. Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to work hard, but right now, I believe the nurses will want to rewrap your arm. Best not to keep them waiting."

Naruto nodded, and turned to walk out. He stopped when he heard Hashirama speak.

"Oh, and Naruto, you really do look like one of the Namikaze. Is there not a chance you were related to this man you look up to?" the clan head questioned.

"I guess." Naruto looked at the floor. He thought for a moment, and then looked back up. "But it doesn't really matter. I grew up an orphan, and whoever my parents were, I just hope they cared about me. I don't know if they're alive or dead… well, unborn in this time… Anyway, like I said, who they were doesn't change who _I_ am… but it would be pretty cool to have one of the Hokage as your father…" he drifted off.

Hashirama nodded. "I'll keep that in mind for my own kids if I really do become Shodaime Hokage like you said."

Naruto was caught off guard for a moment because he really hadn't considered the fact that the man before him was thirty, and most likely had a child or two already. Speaking of which, he still hadn't seen Nidaime Hokage yet…

"Well, it has been nice talking with you, but I really do have some things that require my attention, so…"

Naruto nodded, and bowed.

As he did so, Hashirama raised his eyebrow a bit. Maybe the Kyuubi had taught him something, if only slightly.

The Senju clan head nodded. "Until next time, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, and then walked out to go meet up with Temari and Kugiro.

_Until next time... Senju-sama…_

xxx

A/N: Yes, yes, super long wait, I know. Never said I'd have a schedule or anything, did I? I just woke up this morning with a few ideas and felt like writing them for the next chapter, and here's what happened. I don't know when the next one will be put up, but I hope you enjoyed this one.

Later,

Zashire


	5. The One and Only

Valley of the Wind  
Chapter 5: The One and Only  
By: Zashire

Once Naruto had made a visit to the hospital to get his arm rewrapped, Temari led him to the place where she had been staying at for the past few days. He found and extra bed, where he sat down and explained the meeting with the Kyuubi and what they could do from there. They decided to focus on trying to settle in a bit, seeing as they wouldn't be going back to the future anytime soon. Naruto could tell Temari was unhappy about it, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it.

Temari was still a bit mad at the blonde, but it had worn off over the intervals between the meetings with Hashirama and Kugiro. She figured she might as well get along with him if they were going to be living together for a while. She would miss her brothers, but tried to convince herself that she was just on some extended mission… one that involved visiting dead people… and, well, maybe it was better to just face reality. She was stuck in the past for now, with no foreseeable way out. It sucked.

Which led them to their current situation…

_Grumble!_

Naruto grinned out of embarrassment. "Uh… I'm hungry?"

"So? What do you expect me to do about it?" Temari huffed in annoyance.

"They never said what we should do about food-"

"The market's just down the road."

Temari sweat-dropped.

"But what about money?"

"Don't you have any?"

"Yeah..."

"So go use it."

"Is it good here?"

"Why wouldn't-" Temari cut herself off as realization hit. Hard. The blonde idiot had a point. They were over fifty years in the past. Did they use the same currency? She had completely forgotten to ask Hashirama about it when she had the chance. And now that he had brought it up, she felt hungry too. "Damn it."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

She got up off the chair she was sitting in and went over to the door. "Let's go browse around town. We'll stop by Senju-sama's later."

Naruto grumbled about being hungry, but one glare from Temari made him shut up and comply.

xxx

"Hey, Hashirama?"

"Yes, Uncle?" the addressed man replied as he looked up from his paperwork.

"Why are you so… I don't know… _willing_ to recruit those two into the ninja force? We haven't even known them for more than a week. The boy less than that." Kugiro tried his best to explain his question.

Hashirama leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I will be placing them under a trustworthy person if they pass the test. Think of it as a way to keep an eye on them."

Kugiro allowed a small smile. "Always two steps ahead, eh?"

Hashirama smiled back. "I need to be if I'm expected to be a leader." He shifted his attention back to his desk, and noticed a variant form of a purse lying next to the stack of papers. He looked back up to Kugiro who was about to leave. "Please give this to Temari and Naruto when you see them next. It must have slipped my mind earlier, what with all the confusion. They need to eat if they expect to live in any time."

Kugiro chuckled as he caught the purse his nephew sent his way. "Will do."

"Thanks," he was about to work again when yet another think came to him. "Also, tell them to go to the Tree at 0700 hours tomorrow if they are interested in joining our force. Someone will be there to meet them."

Kugiro looked puzzled for a moment, and tried to figure out who the 'someone' was. He had a fairly good idea, but nodded anyway. "Will do."

Hashirama soon went back to his paperwork after his uncle left. Two blondes he was acquainted with had it in for them. Their worst nightmare would be coming for them all to soon…

…at precisely 0700 hours tomorrow.

xxx

Naruto wore a puzzled expression as he and Temari strolled through the streets of quite possibly one of the largest villages on the map, even though it wasn't that large. It had a nice variety of everything for everyone.

Temari glanced over at the other blonde every once in a while. He was an odd character. She hadn't known him for very long… Actually, it was pretty sad. She had probably spent more time with him in the past than in their time. She sighed. Anyway, he was odd in her opinion. One moment, he would be risking his life for one of his friends, and the next, he would be complaining about how hungry he was. There was such a difference between his laidback self, and his serious self that it was almost scary.

Another thing she noticed every time she glanced over at him was that he looked confused. It was starting to wear on her that he didn't say anything about it. She considered leaving it alone, but after one last look at him, she snapped.

"Okay, spit it out. What's wrong?!"

Naruto snapped out of whatever daydream he was in and looked over to the girl. After a few moments, the question finally registered.

"Why does everyone keep their merchandise out on the street where people can steal it?" he asked, and nodded over in the direction of one of said shops for emphasis.

Temari's eyes widened. Who knew the blonde paid that much attention to his surroundings? From what she could tell, he seemed to have a one-track mind. He just seemed to keep surprising her.

"I really don't know. I never noticed that back at Suna. Life could easily be different here."She didn't want to mention anything about them being in the past out in public. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves.

Naruto nodded. "So… about that food…"

Temari was very close to whacking him on the back of the head again. Stupid one-track mind.

"I don't know. Let's go look for Senju-sama's office. Maybe he could help us."

Just as they were about to change directions, a voice came from behind them.

"Meh, he's kinda busy right now. Can I take a message?"

Naruto turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Miss me-?"

WHAM!

"Don't. Do. That. Ever. Again!!!" Temari practically shouted through clenched teeth.

_And she thought I had problems with manners?_ Naruto thought with a bewildered look on his face.

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" Kugiro grumbled as he lifted himself off the ground. "You know, that's going to sting for a few days?" he mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

Temari crossed her arms. _To think this was the guy that was threatening me less than a week ago._ It almost reminded her of Naruto. They both had many different sides to their personalities… most of which were completely annoying to her. _Lucky me._

"What'd you need to tell us?" she asked in an annoyed tone, completely forgetting about the money they needed for the food.

As if acting as a reminder, Kugiro threw a purse at her. Out of instinct, she caught it and opened it. "That is a very generous sum of money from Hashirama. Use it wisely, because that is all you will be getting unless you join the ninja force or get a job around town."

Temari began to nod but stopped. "Has Senju-sama decided to offer us positions amongst the ninja?"

Kugiro laughed. "It won't be that easy. But to answer your question, yes, he has decided to. If you're interested, go to the Tree at 0700 hours tomorrow, and someone will be there to meet you."

Naruto grinned. Temari nodded, her previous anger gone.

"Please tell him thank you for the money, and that we will be there tomorrow morning."

Just as Kugiro was about to leave, Naruto piped in.

"Um, where exactly is 'the Tree'?"

Kugiro laughed again, and pointed behind them. "Not very easy to miss."

Both blondes followed him and looked.

Slightly off in the distance stood a very tall tree. It seemed to be taller than any of the other ones around it.

Naruto bravely spoke both their thoughts.

"How did we not see that earlier?"

Kugiro laughed and said goodbye, leaving the blondes to wallow in their stupidity. Temari was carefully reconsidering her skills as a kunoichi, while Naruto… was more interested in some nice smelling food that came from a food stand s few feet away.

Temari sighed. "Kami-sama pray I survive this…"

xxx

Shortly after their meeting with Kugiro, Naruto and Temari found themselves seated at a table outside of a small restaurant. The blonde boy quickly found the ramen section on the menu, and nearly squealed with glee that they had his favorite food in this time period. Temari was a bit surprised by his eagerness to get the food, seeing as she hadn't known too much about him before being taken back in time with him. She would have to learn about some of the other blonde's habits the hard way…

"Can I get you two anything else?" their waitress asked with a smile as she walked up to their table.

"No, thank-" Temari began, but was interrupted.

"More ramen!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.

Temari glared at him, but quickly focused her attention back on the young woman next to her. "I'm sorry, but we're fine. My friend really doesn't need any more food. May we please have the bill now?"

The waitress frowned slightly by the loss of business, but nodded and turned to walk away after a final glance at the two blondes.

Once she was out of earshot, Temari returned to glaring at the other blonde.

"What the hell was that for?!" she hissed.

Naruto looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes!" she growled. "We're short on money as it is. The last thing we need is for you to eat your way through our money in one night! We need to make this last until we can get some more from serving as ninja."

"But don't we have a lot as it is?" he questioned. "Besides, we might be officially ninja tomorrow."

She frowned. "That doesn't mean we will be starting missions right away."

He sighed. She did have a point. "Fine."

She leaned back in her chair. "Another thing you need to work on is your manners. They're terrible."

He huffed.

"At least show your superiors some respect in the future. _Never_ interrupt Senju-sama. He is quite possibly _the_ strongest ninja alive right now. The last thing we need is for you to be making an enemy of him."

Naruto stared at her in disbelief. Sure, he agreed that he could brush up on his manners a bit… but Hashirama was far from being one of their enemies. Would an enemy give them as much money as he had? The blonde sighed. They were both over thinking everything. They had a test tomorrow that would affect their futures… well, pasts… it was all too confusing.

Temari sighed as well. "Let's just get going soon, okay?"

"Sure," the other blonde agreed. As he finished his bowl of ramen, he went to move the bowl aside using his left hand, but then remembered it was unusable at the moment.

Temari frowned when she saw this. "Are you sure you'll be up to whatever Senju-sama's going to throw at us tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug. "Not like I really have a choice."

The blonde girl grunted. "Show a little more confidence."

He suddenly remembered his conversation with Hashirama earlier. His face brightened up a few notches. "Don't worry about me. I'm sure we'll pass no matter what."

Temari looked at him, a bit surprised. She wished he would get his emotions sorted out soon, because his little bipolar episodes were starting to wear on her. He had acted similarly back when they were browsing around the town earlier. One moment he would act depressed, and then the next, he would be back to his normal, happy self. What was causing these changes? _Well, I guess I can't blame him too much considering everything that's happened in the past few days… I've barely been keeping myself together, and I don't even have half of his problems._

"You know, if you have to get something out of your system, now would be the time to do it. I'm here and I'll listen to whatever you need to say," Temari offered. Her eyes widened a bit when she realized she had actually said that out loud.

Naruto looked a bit surprised as well, but then grinned again. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."

She sighed and rested her head on one of her hands. "You're not fooling anyone. I can tell you're upset. Just get it out now."

Naruto's eyes dropped. "Imagine having one of the most feared creatures of all time trapped inside you, not being able to use one of your arms, and having to worry about how you'll get said creature to get you back to your own time." Naruto dropped his head to the palm of his left hand, just like Temari had a few minutes prior. He locked eyes with her, but she quickly jerked hers away. "Sorry for complaining like this, but it's hard to look forward to anything in the situation right now."

She sighed. "It's fine. While I can't empathize with you on the first two, I can on the third. Sorry if I sound completely rude sometimes, but the whole matter right now is stressful and annoying. I really just want to go home. I never really realized how much I loved it there until it was taken away like right now."

Naruto smiled a bit. "I have to agree with that."

"I guess all we can do right now is try and pass whatever the test is tomorrow. We'll have to focus on getting back home later… especially with your…"

"Arm," he finished, looking down at the useless limb. "I'm not mad at you about it, so don't be afraid to mention it."

"Yeah," she said with a small frown. "Let's just try to stay on good terms with each other, and sooner or later we'll figure everything out and get back home, okay?" She finished her statement with a light smile.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a grin of his own.

"Here's your bill," the waitress said as she placed it on the table. "Thank you for coming. We hope to see you again in the future."

The two blondes almost laughed at the mention of the future. Temari quickly thanked the waitress, paid the bill, left a tip, and stood up. Naruto looked up before following.

"Ready for bed yet?" Naruto stifled a yawn.

Temari nodded with one of her own. The sun had gone down several hours ago and it was finally sinking in.

"Yeah, let's get going." As they pushed their chairs in and started to leave, Naruto remembered something.

"Oh yeah, about the thing at the hospital a few days ago…"

Temari waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Yeah, I'm still a bit mad, but if we're going to get anywhere in this time, we might as well get along." Naruto grinned. "Though I'm not sure if I'm sorry about slapping you or not. You were being kind of an ass." The other blonde frowned. "Whatever, let's just call it a night, and try to start over tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm not looking forward to getting up that early," he whined.

Temari stared. "How is 0700 hours _early_?! Baki-sensei made us get up an hour before the sun came up on a _daily_ basis. How lazy was your sensei?"

Naruto just laughed. If she only knew…

"Hey! I asked you a question!"

Their night continued like that for a while after.

xxx

A pillow greeted Naruto's face as he cracked his eyes open the next morning.

"We're going to be late if you don't get out of bed this instant!" the other blonde said loudly as she prepared to chuck another one at him.

"Meh, I'm up, I'm up," Naruto grunted as he threw off the covers and got out of bed.

He grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom, skipping the shower when he realized what time it was.

"Crap! We only have 10 minutes until the meeting?!"

"Yeah! That's why I've been trying to get you up for the past half hour. It was kind of hard to do because of how loud you were snoring," came the muffled response from outside the door.

Naruto cursed at himself and changed as fast as he possibly could. Temari stared in disbelief when he came out of the bathroom a few minutes later.

"That was quick." She scanned his ninja gear. "Have everything?" He nodded. "Then let's get going. We're going to have to skip breakfast."

Naruto groaned but followed as the other blonde ran out the door.

xxx

It took them five minutes to get to the Tree between all of the civilians and ninja trying to get around the small village. Naruto continued to curse himself for sleeping in, and prayed that they made it on time.

Temari, on the other hand, didn't bother with cursing off anyone in her head, and instead focused on weaving a way through the crowd for Naruto and herself. They only had a few minutes left, and she was determined to get them there on time.

"There it is!" Naruto shouted from just behind her.

She looked up, and sure enough, the Tree was not fifty meters away. As they came up to it, they noticed a man with white hair, along with two young girls, one with dark blackish hair, and another with brown hair.

They soon came upon them and stopped for a minute to catch their breath.

The man with white hair stood up, and Temari could see that he held a pocket watch in his hand.

"Right on time," he said with a smirk.

The two blondes finally looked up to the man. His hair didn't seem nearly as white this close up. Naruto could easily compare it to that of Kakashi's. He also noticed the reddish-brown color of the man's eyes. They seemed familiar, but for some reason Naruto couldn't place it. Neither could Temari.

Temari recognized one of the girls next to the man as Hareshi, but she couldn't tell who the one was. Hareshi noticed her stare, and grinned back.

The other girl seemed shy, and blushed a bit when she saw Naruto. Temari frowned a bit, but snapped out of it when she heard a cough.

Both she and Naruto focused their attention on the man again and waited for him to speak.

"Now that you two are here, let's begin," he said. Soon after, he sat back down on the grass at the foot of the tree. "Come, sit."

Both blondes did as they were told and sat in front of the trio.

"No need to be so stiff… you two are pretty much members of the ninja force already," the man explained.

Temari looked confused. "But don't we need to take a test? Senju-sama said that we were required to pass one before we joined."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

The man held up a hand with two fingers extended. "Alright, two things. One: I make the rules about the test. It will be a simple sparring match. I will report what I gather from the matches, and make recommendations on how your abilities will or will not assist in our ninja system. And two: be careful who you refer to as 'Senju-sama' around here. For a minute I thought you were talking about me." He laughed as if he had said something funny.

Temari looked confused. "Are you related to him?"

That question only made him laugh louder.

"Why yes, I am. My name is Senju Tobirama - the one and only brother of Hashirama."

xxx

Well, I'm going on vacation all of next week, so here's an update. :)

I'll try to update more often.

Hope you enjoyed it,

Zashire


End file.
